Making It Work
by Vesper Gray
Summary: Alcide and Sookie are tired of the dramatic relationships and want to try something new.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is set pre-season 5.

Making It Work: Chapter One

Alcide turned the radio down. "Sookie."

"Yeah?" Sookie glanced over at him.

"What are you over there thinking about? I know it's not about me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she furrowed her brow. "Am I supposed to be thinking about you?"

"It would be nice." He muttered.

"You're over there thinking about Debbie."

"I am not." He shot back quickly.

"Alcide...don't even play with me about your thoughts. I can hear them, remember?"

"I thought we agreed you would stay out of my head."

"And I thought we agreed that we were friends. And now you're jumping down my throat about not THINKING about you."

"I know you're still hung up on Bill. And Eric-," she opened her mouth to argue. "I'm not commenting on that, I'm just sayin'. Maybe I'm still hung up on Debbie. But I'm done with her, and you're done with them. So why don't we try this thing, the two of us?"

"What...thing?" she asked gingerly.

"Actually trying to date. Making this work. I'm not a bad guy, Sookie. We could have something if we worked at it. We could have a relationship, a house, kids...all of it. Somethin' normal. Somethin' stable."

She looked out the window, but all she could see was darknees. He has a good job, she thought to herself. He doesn't have an ex-wife or kids. He doesn't care about the mind reading thing.

And he's hot as hell.

"But we don't love each other," she thought aloud.

"That could change. And even if...we could still have a good life."

She nodded slowly. "You're right."

"That's the first time you've ever said that."

"Maybe it'll become a habit. Let's try. Try to..."

"Make it work?"

She smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Just to clarify, this fic is set after the conversation at Merlotte's between Alcide and Sookie in the finale of season 4. Alcide and Debbie have broken up and Sookie has broken up with Bill and Eric, but I am ignoring everything after that (including the death of Debbie and vamping of Tara).

Chapter 2

Sookie couldn't even figure out who she was in love with anymore. She loved Bill. She loved Eric. But both of them had nearly stabbed out her insides and ripped her heart out through her throat. She could do without their love, thank you very much.

Hanging out with Alcide was nice. It kept her mind off of Bill and Eric. They could watch football and talk about hunting season. He liked the same kind of food as her. Dating him was a different can of worms.

She didn't even know how to date a normal guy. A guy that could walk around during the day.

He unlocked the front door to his house and held it open for her. She ducked inside, glancing around nervously. "So...you aren't worried that Debbie might come after you?"

"No. Her sister called and said she went back to Mississippi. Her parents live there. She runs back to them every time she doesn't have a man to live off of."

The bitterness in his voice tired Sookie. She wasn't sure he would ever be able to get over Debbie. She wasn't sure she could ever get over Bill and Eric.

This whole thing is a mistake, a little voice in her head nagged. A crazy idea. This won't work.

She started to open her mouth and tell him to take her home when he took her hand. "I wanna show you something."

She hesitated, unsure of what to say. She knew she should tell him how she felt- that she was having second thoughts- but her interest got the better of her. "What?"

"C'mon." He led her down the hall, to his bedroom.

She started to pull her hand away. "Alcide, I can't-,"

To her confusion, he passed his room and opened the door next to it. Inside was a large bed covered with a pink and white quilt. There was a TV and a reading lamp. A suitcase sat on the floor.

"Uh...why is my suitcase here?"

"Do you like the room?"

"Yeah, it's really cute. Alcide, answer my question."

"I want you to stay here."

Her jaw dropped. "We've only been on one official date and you want me to move in?"

"You need to get out of that house for a while, Sookie. You know Bill and Eric won't leave you alone and they can both come in whenever they want."

"But it's my house. My Gran's house. And we...I can't just move in with you like this."

"You're not. You're just staying here a while. Can you really tell me you're ready to go home?"

She wasn't. Every spot in that house reminded her of a time she had had sex with Eric. Or sex with Bill. Even her bedroom wasn't an escape anymore.

"Just for a few days." Stop thinking about Bill and Eric, she ordered herself. She stood on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips to Alcide's.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_They say you can't go home again. _

One of Gran's silly little sayings ran through Sookie's mind as she sat behind the wheel of her car, staring at her house. A streak of longing for Gran clogged up her throat and she blinked hard. "Just get out and go in. It's your house," she said quietly. "Just go."

No sex with Alcide yet. The two days she spent at his house were days of take-out pizza and watching movies on his nice TV. Easy living. Lazy days. Laughing, talking, sexual tension...but she had to go back to work. She needed more clothes. She needed to get the hell out of Alcide's house and think about what she was doing.

Work had been fine. Everyone was friendly, as usual. Everyone was full of questions, as usual. She dodged them as best she could, lied about keeping to herself in her house. Avoided questions about Eric and Bill. But she caught Sam looking at her strangely a couple of times and knew she couldn't hide what she was doing forever.

But if she said she was living with Alcide...well, everyone in Bon Temps would talk about how Sookie ran from one man to another. She didn't want to hear that. She was confused enough about her feelings without outside noise.

She swung open the car door and practically jogged up to the door of her house. She shoved the key in the door and pushed it open quietly.

"I was wondering where you went."

Her spine stiffened and she wished she had never got out of the car. Eric stood up, a glass of wine in his hand. "Want a drink?"

"Um, no...thank you," her manners kicked in. "What are you doing here?"

"I own this place. And I was waiting on you."

She steeled herself. "I told you. It's over between us. I need time-,"

"That's unacceptable," his voice was a low growl. "It's not what you want. We both know it."

She knew she still loved him. Or at least, parts of him. Loved the sex, loved how he made her feel. But she loved Bill, too. And they both were horrible for her. Like poison running through her blood.

"It's what I need," her voice cracked. "I need something other than this. I need a normal life for a little while. Please, just let me have it."

"I will never leave you alone," he leaned in and she took a long breath. He smelled so good. He smelled like lust. "I love you."

"Stop loving me." She raised her eyes to his. "Take your hands off me."

"No," he smiled slyly, sliding one hand up her thigh. She felt her resolve crumbling like a crappy deck of cards.

Gran's voice hissed, _Sookie. Are you going to change or not? Has it ever worked out for anything but heartache with him? _

"Let me go," she pushed away but he was kissing her, holding her. She was kissing him back. Gran's voice became louder and louder. She shoved him away and he grinned. "We can try it rough."

"We're not trying nothin'." She swallowed hard. _Stop shaking. _"I'm leaving."

"You know I can find you at any time. I'll let you sulk for a while. I have all the time in the world." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small silver ring. "Think about how I feel about you. All that I can do for you. Another man can't."

She flung the ring in her purse and hurried out. "Shit, I didn't even get any clothes," she grunted to herself as she cranked the car. She hesitated, watching Eric on the porch. She wanted to go back in and get her clothes. But if she did that...she knew she would end up naked on the faded rose carpet with him.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "What the hell am I going to do?"

She had to make a decision.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks to Chelle and Katie for reviewing! I have a lot of people following this story, but only 2 people reviewing. You guys, if you like the story, please let me know. It makes me write faster :)

Chapter 4

Sookie skidded out of her driveway with a loud roar and gravel flying. She clenched her teeth so hard a sharp pain stung her jaw.

Gran's voice looped through her mind like a broken record. _Drive. Keep driving. Back to Alcide's house. _

"I can't be with Eric," she pounded the steering wheel with her fist. "I _can't. _Gran would hate it. And she would be right. I need to be away from him- from them."

She was running away. Fleeing the only real home she had ever known. But if that was what it took to get Eric out of her system- to get the smell of him off her flesh- it's what she would do.

She couldn't even remember the drive. The next thing she knew, she was standing in Alcide's driveway. His truck was there, the front porch light on, a soft light from the TV shining through the window. She unlocked the door and stood in the front hallway for a moment.

She closed her eyes and just _listened. _

Even though he was in the living room and had no clue she was there, his thoughts came rushing at her like a whirlwind. He was thinking about having the house repainted. He thought maybe she didn't like the color since Debbie picked it out. He was also thinking about building a gazebo in the backyard.

Normal things. Every day things. He was thinking about _her. _He wanted to make her happy. He wanted to give her normalcy- as much normalcy as a telepath and Were could have. The kind of guy who was going to introduce her to his family and take her to church on Sundays. Maybe the kind of guy she could have kids with. Have a small garden wedding. Probably have great sex- he was gorgeous. A guy she could pay bills with on Monday nights and go out to eat on Fridays.

It wouldn't always be thrilling and life or death like it was with Bill and Eric. But she craved just a day, a week, a month of normal.

She leaned against the wall, still listening. He was thinking about what color gazebo to build.

Bless him.

She felt a surge of affection for him and moved into the living room. "Hey," he turned down the TV. "What's wrong?"

She tried her face as blank as possible. "What do you mean?"

"Something happened. What's wrong?"

"Alcide- I just want to be away from it all," her voice caught but she was so tired she couldn't even cry. "My life is so screwed up it's not even funny. Gran would be ashamed of me."

"Nah, she wouldn't." he pulled her into his arms. "Did you see him?"

"He was at my house...waiting for me."

"I'll go handle him." He began to pull away but she wrapped her arms around him again.

"No, don't worry about it. He doesn't know I'm with you. Let's keep it that way for a while."

"Let's go away," he whispered into her hair.

"Go away? Where?"

"For the weekend. We'll leave now. I don't work tomorrow. Go pack a bag." He gave her a slight push toward her room.

"But where are we going? What do I pack?"

"Clothes. Go pack. I'll load the car."

She felt the small thrill of excitement. She went into her room, still smiling. A getaway sounded like what they needed. What she needed to get closer to Alcide.

Her smile died when she saw a text message. From Eric. She started to open it, then stopped. Focus on Alcide. She turned off the phone and slid it into the bottom of her suitcase.

"You almost ready?" Alcide called from the living room.

"Oh yeah. I'm SO ready."


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks so much to those that reviewed!

Chapter 5

Alcide knew Sookie wasn't too thrilled about the little camper he had borrowed from his parents to go camping in. It was kind of small, with just one bed and a claustrophobic little bathroom. But it was their key to escape.

He knew seeing Eric had shaken her up. She didn't say much about it, but her eyes kept darting around and she gnawed on her fingernails.

By the time they reached the campsite it was early morning. He carried Sookie's bags into the camper and put them down on the bed. "There's a shower in there," he pointed. "Kinda small but it gets pretty hot. I brought some towels." He glanced over at her. "Maybe you should try to get some sleep."

She plopped down on the bed, running her hand over the pink quilt his mother had made. "What are you going to do?"

"Figured I would go for a walk in the woods. Take my gun, maybe do a little hunting for a couple of hours. You can go with me if you want."

"Uh, I'll pass." The thought of killing an animal made her stomach turn. A nap did sound nice- she felt so exhausted. Maybe she could finally sleep. _I am way out in the woods and it is daylight- Eric and Bill can't bother me here. _"Maybe I will sleep. Good luck on the hunt."

They were both quiet a minute. She raised her eyes to his and the air felt warmer. Alcide hesitated and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back."

He walked out and stood outside the door for a long moment. In the window, he saw her crawl under the blankets on the bed and lay down. He checked the locks on the camper door and started out towards the woods.

He just wanted to get out and think. Far enough away so she couldn't hear his thoughts. His boots crunched the leaves under his feet.

Settling down had been his goal with Debbie. He had made so many plans for the two of them. He had known Debbie his whole life, had started dating her when he was fifteen. She had been his first, his first love, his everything for all of his adult life. His parents had accepted her, although he was pretty sure they never liked her all that much. His sister certainly hadn't.

She cheated a lot but there was something about Debbie he _needed. _Maybe it was her absolute vulnerability. The fact that she needed him, 100%, all the time. She seemed so alive, a million miles an hour, balls to the wall all the damn time.

He was more steadfast. He was loyal, stable, dependable. He took being a wolf seriously. He believed in laws and logic and honesty. Debbie didn't really believe those things.

But the passion between them was amazing. No matter how many glasses shattered, no matter how many men Debbie had sex with, no matter how many screaming fights. He loved her.

He had dated other women, been with other women. None of the others stuck. But after what Debbie had done- he couldn't do it any more. There was no going back.

_Sookie. _He leaned against a tree and breathed in the clean air. Sookie was everything his parents wanted for him. Okay, maybe their dream wasn't for him to date a former fang-banging telepath. But they liked that she had a job, came from a respected Bon Temps family, was pretty, a good Christian, and polite. She wasn't a sociopath drug addict, so they considered her a huge step up from Debbie. They wanted her to go to church with them. His sister wanted her to come over and paint her nails with her.

Alcide appreciated their enthusiasm, but he wasn't sure he was ready to put Sookie out to his family full time. He liked having her to himself.

_She's mine right now. _

The thought startled him. He had never thought of Sookie as _his _before. Debbie was his mate- used to be his mate. Debbie used to be his. But now he had Sookie and he wasn't ready to share her.

He had asked Sookie to move in so they could start building a future together. Something stable. Since they had never had anything stable, it was hard. He tried buying things for the house- didn't women like that? He talked about maybe finishing the basement. They could put a game room down there. Sookie liked playing ping-pong. If he ever joined another pack, they could meet down there.

Sookie wanted kids. Or she liked kids, anyway. They had never talked about kids. Or getting married. He did want a wife one day. He wasn't sure he wanted kids. It was hard enough being a Were without throwing kids into it. Especially half Were's. Half Weres who would also be half Faerie.

_Damn. That's confusing. _

He liked coming home to her. She had a vulnerability about her too- it was different than Debbie, but Sookie made him feel needed. She could drive him crazy but she was all big eyes and crying and screaming. All that shit made him weak in the knees. And he liked his women slightly crazy.

They hadn't had sex yet. A few kisses here and there. He wanted it, she wanted it, it just hadn't happened. He knew he had to make a move. But for some reason, he was nervous. He wanted it to be more than that. He'd never been with a girl like Sookie. Hell, he'd never met a girl like Sookie. He knew she had probably had all kinds of crazy acrobatic sex with vampires- how would a normal guy fare after that? Vamps could probably go for hours.

He wanted it to be good. He felt like they were living in a carefully constructed house of straw and that any change would cause the entire house to crumble. He had to be very careful, or the whole relationship would fall apart before it even started.

Sookie was surprised at how deep her sleep was. She had slept for almost three hours and Alcide wasn't back yet. She brushed her teeth at the little sink and contemplated changing her clothes. She glanced at her little bag and hesitated.

She rummaged through her bag and found her nicest bra and panties. She had bought them back when she was with Eric but had never used them. They never got around to doing lingerie and all that. But mortal guys were into that...or so she had read in _Cosmopolitan_.She slipped them on but pulled Alcide's flannel red robe over it. She knew Alcide liked the heavily made up look judging by the girls he had dated- Were girls weren't exactly into subtle.

She grabbed some red lipstick and carefully applied it. Then some eyeliner and mascara. Then a heavy dose of blush. "No way," she said aloud to her reflection and began scrubbing some of it off. She wanted to look sexy, not like a porn star. She left on the lipstick and eyeliner, though.

She took a deep breath and tried to quell her rolling stomach. _Nerves. I'm nervous. _

She sat down to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sookie was nervous.

She had paced around a million times, walking around in aimless circles inside the tiny camper. She kept checking her makeup. She sat down and clasped her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath. "What if he comes back like six hours from now?" she agonized out loud. "I could be sitting here freezing my ass off for hours. What if he thinks this is stupid? Debbie probably never did this crap."

Alcide trudged through the woods, carrying his gun under his arm. He would cook some steaks on the grill. Maybe cook some corn with it. Have a couple beers...Sookie was a beer kind of girl. He liked that. Talk for a while. He opened the door to the camper, still lost in thought. Maybe roast smores. Talk about each other- no Eric or Debbie-

"Shit," he dropped his gun on the floor when he saw Sookie.

She stood there in his red flannel robe. A lacy black bra peeked through the top of it. Her hair was tousled and her lips were fire engine red. She managed a nervous smile. "I uh...do you like it?"

"Uh, yeah." It was so weird seeing Sookie like this. Weird and...arousing. "You look..." he walked toward her, placing a hand on her hair. He ran his fingers over a strand of it. "You look gorgeous, Sookie."

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her heart beat hard against her rib cage. She closed her eyes and let her guard down for a second. His thoughts came rushing in, swirling around, bumping into her thoughts.

_He wants me. No more holding back. _

She leaned over and kissed him hard, her hands wrapping around his back. He was a good kisser- different than vampires. The muscles in his back were strong and hard. His hands, calloused and rough, pushed the robe off her shoulders.

She shivered as the cold air hit her and leaned into his embrace. He smelled like the woods and cologne and something else she couldn't name. His fingers slid across her stomach and skimmed over the lace edges of her panties. Her legs wobbled anxiously and she wasn't sure she could keep standing. She hooked her hands tighter around his back.

One hand cupped her breast as the other undid the back of her bra swiftly. She made a tiny sound as it fell to the floor and she stood half naked in front of him. His eyes swept over her approvingly and her insides shivered. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile and slowly, tauntingly, she pushed her panties down with them.

He smiled a tiny smile in return- _well played, Sookie_- and grabbed her hips with a growl. She giggled and gasped at the same time as they fell on the bed. She jerked off his belt and flung it behind her and worked on pulling his jeans off. His mouth- his tongue- his fingers- ran over her body like water. She didn't want to stop, didn't want to think, didn't want to breathe.

She took in his naked body as he slipped on a condom. _Have I ever been with a man this hot? Hell, have I ever seen a man this hot? _Eric and Bill were gorgeous. But Alcide's body was as hard as a rock..._all _of him. He had muscles and strength and sweat.

When he entered her she dug her nails into his shoulder blade. His teeth grazed her lip and she moaned, arching her back up into him.

Fast. Everything was happening fast. It wasn't the hours of crazy long foreplay she had with Eric- but it was passion and wrapping her legs around his hips and thrusts and sweat pouring off her onto the sheets. She could feet how wet she was, seeping over him and sliding down her legs. The last time she had had an orgasm was with Eric-

_Stop thinking about him. Stop. Let it go. _

Alcide came with a loud grunt and his thumb pressed into her clit. The pressure made her groan and she felt herself her tension pop inside her. She came, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth.

_Well, damn. _


	7. Chapter 7

Sookie rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow. "What are you thinking about?"

Alcide didn't open his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

"I told you, I don't listen in. I block it. I'm asking you to tell me. There's a difference between that and me spying into your brain."

His eyes opened slowly and focused on her. "You're beautiful."

She smiled. "And?"

"And? Woman, isn't that enough?"

"Was it good?" she prodded, running a finger down his abs.

He nipped at her ear with a growl and she shrieked, pulling away with a giggle. "You know it was, Sookie."

She laid back down, carefully situating her head on his shoulder. "Maybe I like camping better than I thought."

"Sex in the woods is better than any other kind." An awkward silence fell as they both realized Alcide had caught her in the woods with Eric before. "Forget I said that."

"You mean, sex in a camper is better than any other kind?"

She felt him smile. "Yeah. That's what I meant."

Over the next couple of days, she felt like she finally was seeing Alcide relaxed. She realized that sex with a human man was just as fun as sex with vampires, except it didn't last for hours on end. That was okay, since she was frankly tired of being sore when she was with Eric and Bill.

She found out Alcide liked touching her. He would always pull her into his lap, nuzzle her neck, hold her hand while they were walking.

He found out Sookie liked to ride around in the truck and sing country songs at the top of her lungs. She didn't like to drink, but she liked pouring his drinks.

He talked about joining a new pack. She heard longing in his voice.

They talked. They laughed. Sookie felt excited when he touched her, butterflies when he kissed her. She never wanted it to end.

But he had to go back to work and they had to leave. That's when she felt her resolve slipping.

He had to work late that night. She was alone in their room. She paced around, feeling lonely. She tried not to think about Eric. She tried not to be a cheating bitch. She knew what she was about to do would make her one.

She found herself sitting on the edge of the bathtub, typing out a hurried text to Eric.

_I miss you_. Three little words.

She liked Alcide. She wasn't sure if she was in love with Eric anymore. She wasn't sure what she felt. But she missed him. She couldn't help herself.

When she closed the cell phone, she hated herself more than ever.

She left the phone in the bathroom. When Alcide came home, she went and sat with him on the couch while he had a beer. She laid with her head on his lap, biting back tears and words of apology. She listened to him talk about the pack meeting they would attend the next day. She said the right things absently.

_He doesn't know. You can keep it a secret and he'll never know_, she chided herself. But as they lay there, she felt like they were a million miles apart.

The engagement ring was perfect, nestled in Alcide's back pocket. He knew she would love it. He knew that would finally be the thing to cement them together. The passion was there. Friendship. The love would grow with time.

But he couldn't say the words. He couldn't bring himself to ask.

**They're complicated, huh? Thanks for the reviews! They keep me going!**


	8. Chapter 8

Everything changed the night of the pack meeting. In fact, even as she was getting dressed for the meeting, she had every intention of breaking up with Alcide. It wasn't fair to stay with him and try to build a life with him when she wasn't even sure if she was over Eric. She decided to tell him after the meeting.

"You look great." Alcide kissed her on the cheek as he helped her in the truck.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She couldn't resist smiling back. It was true. Alcide being gorgeous only made things harder.

They rode in silence for a while and Sookie knew, even without listening in on his thoughts, that he was wondering what was wrong with her. She cleared her throat. "Nervous about tonight?"

"No."

"Liar."

He shot her a sharp look. "Listening in on my thoughts again?"

"No. You just...look nervous."

"I'm not nervous," he insisted stubbornly.

But he was. When they arrived, he took her hand and didn't let go as they navigated through the crowd. The air was tense. Everyone was wondering who would be elected packmaster. Sookie felt a little underdressed- all the other women had multiple tattoos and leather pants. She felt a sense of panic when Alcide let go of her hand and wandered over to where the men were.

But she plastered a smile on her face and dove in. And it wasn't so bad. The women were nice to her. They asked her questions about their house, her job, Alcide. They asked when they were getting married and Sookie laughed off questions about how many babies they were going to have.

And as the hours went by, she realized she missed Alcide. She found herself peering through the crowd searing for him, and her mind clouded with confusion. She excused herself from the gaggle of women and practically ran into the house. She found a small guest bathroom and closed herself inside.

She splashed cold water on her face and rubbed her eyes. She steadied herself on the sink and looked in the mirror. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "You need to figure out who you want here. Once and for all."

She closed the toilet seat and sat on it, dropping her head in her hands. _Alcide or Eric? _Eric and her had...history. Attraction. But she and Alcide had attraction, too.

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed desperately. "Dear God, I'm totally confused right now...I like them both and I have no idea which way to go. I just want this torture to be over and just know which guy I'm supposed to be with. If you could just...send me a sign, let me know what I should do. I'm completely at a loss. Right now, I want Alcide. But is he the right way for me or am I just totally screwed up?"

She took a deep breath and let it out. "Amen."

She fixed her makeup and straightened her shirt. She wasn't sure if God even had heard her prayer. But it was really the only place she could turn to for help.

She walked back out and everyone was gathered in a circle. She quickly walked over to join the circle and saw Alcide and a few other men were standing in the middle.

"Tonight we announce who will be our new packmaster," an older man announced loudly. "The pack has voted and nominated someone. I'm going to read it." He opened an envelope. "The pack nominates Alcide for the honorable job as packmaster."

Sookie's heart swelled with pride as she watched Alcide duck his head and grin. He shook the hands of all the men.

"Alcide, do you accept?" someone asked over the cheering.

"I..." Alcide stopped, his eyes sweeping the crowd. They finally stopped on Sookie. "Sookie, how do you feel about living with a packmaster?"

"I can't think of anyone better for the job," she said honestly. Alcide gave her a huge kiss on the lips and the crowd cheered again.

"Then I guess I'm the new packmaster. Thank you. I'm honored."

Sookie stayed by Alcide's side for the rest of the night. She had never seen him so happy. He was in his element, in a place where he belonged.

But it was when he pulled her into his lap while sitting at the picnic table that she got her sign.

A guy handed Alcide a beer. "So we're going to kick some vamp ass now that you're packmaster, right?"

"Or at least some fang banger ass." Another guy shook his head. "My girl left me for one of those fangers. I think the humans that get with them are more screwed up than the vamps. I say we make a statement, kick some ass."

"No," Alcide said quietly, but his voice was like steel. "That's their business and we're not going to stir up trouble. We leave them to their lives and we carry on with ours."

"But that's-,"

"Are we clear?" Alcide raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah." The two guys backed off quickly. "You're the boss."

They walked off and Sookie giggled. "They're scared of you."

"Well, I am pretty scary."

"No, you're not. I love you."

The words were so careful, so casual, that she sucked in a shocked breath. And she knew she did love him. His strong steadiness, his carefulness, his power, his voice. He could take care of her- and did. He protected her, and she wanted that. She needed that.

_I guess this is my sign from God, huh? _

He hesitated a moment. "Sookie, I-,"

"Let's get married. Let's just do it. I want to be with you. I'm ready for us to go to the next thing." She heard herself talking faster and faster with excitement. "I love you. I know I've been a shitty girlfriend but I can be-,"

He pulled a diamond ring out of his back pocket. "I've been carrying it around for weeks." He admitted. "I just didn't...know how to ask."

"It's...it's so beautiful."

He held it out. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she pressed a long kiss to his mouth. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll be Mrs. Packmaster Alcide."


	9. Chapter 9

Sookie slid open the back door and stepped out onto the porch. She shivered as the wind hit her and she started to go back inside to get her jacket.

"It's been a while since I've seen you," a voice called out from the darkness.

Sookie stopped, turning around to face Eric. "It has," she agreed. "What are you doing here?"

"A little bird told me you got married," he said, his voice almost a purr. "I wanted to come and see if congratulations are in order."

Sookie held out her hand, her smile glittering like the two rings on her finger.

His grin seemed frozen, cold and angry despite his polite tone. "Well then, congratulations. I guess it's still too early in the marriage to ask if you'd consider breaking it off?"

Sookie drew her hand back, refusing to take the bait. "Did you only come to piss me off?"

"So I'm pissing you off now by asking about your marriage?" Eric clucked his tongue. "That hardly seems fair. Or healthy."

Sookie sighed heavily. She thought of Alcide inside the house, watching the game with Jason. She didn't want either of them involved. "Eric, I know better than to tell you not to come here anymore. I know you won't listen and you'll just end up doing what you want to anyway. But I am married. I'm going to stay married."

Eric rolled his eyes, seemingly bored with her response. Sookie went on, "But for the first time in my life, I feel like everything is stable. I feel like I'm swimming with the current, not against it. This is me being happy. I've never had that."

"Funny how you seemed happy back when I was fucking you."

"It wasn't real." Sookie shook her head. "None of it was real. The sex was enjoyable. We had fun. But I could never be happy with you- or Bill. It was just the thrill of having something I knew I shouldn't. Real happiness is having a home, a husband, a life that isn't in shambles. Happiness for me is being out of Bon Temps, away from you, away from the memories."

"Sookie," Eric held up a hand to stop her. "This will all wear off. Nothing lasts. Especially not marriages. You're human. You can't stay happy forever."

"You're right." She caught him off guard and he raised his eyebrows. "There's going to be some bad times. Times when I'll want to leave. But I'm ready for the stability. My parents dying, hearing thoughts, having sex with vampires...it's been one thing after another since I was five. I need stable. I need real. I need a man that loves me, is faithful to me, would die for me."

"I would have died for you."

"No, you wouldn't. You cared about me. But the only person you would have died for is Pam." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "I need you to forget about me."

"What if I can't forget about you?" His eyes drilled into her.

"Then just let me go." Her voice was soft. "It's over."

He stepped toward her, like he was going to kiss her. Sookie backed away, placing one hand on his chest. "Eric, look at me. _See _me. You know I'm serious."

He watched her for a long moment and she saw the shift in his eyes. He knew the truth. She knew he would deny it, would continue to come around, bothering her. He was dangerous. But so was Alcide. And one day, Eric would get bored and give up.

"I'll see you around." His voice was low as he walked away. Sookie felt no grief, just a deep feeling of relief. It was finally over.


End file.
